


Fool For Love

by SamuelJames



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, M/M, Other Characters Briefly Mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 19:31:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3662286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamuelJames/pseuds/SamuelJames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>April Fool's Day leads to a huge row and sometimes arguments are not about the thing you're fighting over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fool For Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [storiesfortravellers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesfortravellers/gifts).



> _Title: Fool For Love_   
>  _Pairing: Duke Crocker/Nathan Wuornos_   
>  _Rating: 15+ (for language)_   
>  _Summary: April Fool's Day leads to a huge row and sometimes arguments are not about the thing you're fighting over._   
>  _Notes: Written for the comment fic prompt Haven, Duke/Nathan, it's not easy to get a smile out of Nathan. Character deaths are mentioned in one sentence and do not happen in-fic._   
>  _Disclaimer: This transformative work has been created purely for entertainment purposes. No profit is made or sought. No copyright infringement is intended._   
>  _Archiving Information: Please do not archive elsewhere on the net._

Duke gets his usual early start, leaving Nathan sleeping peacefully while he goes up on deck to stretch before doing his morning yoga routine. When he's done he makes a start on breakfast including switching out the salt for sugar. He serves up two plates of scrambled eggs and calls Nathan.

Getting in the first prank when Nathan is sleepy doesn't quite get the reaction Duke expected. Nathan takes a forkful of seasoned eggs and grimaces as he swallows.

"April 1st, dude."

Nathan pushes his plate away and stands up. "I'll eat on the way to work."

Duke tries to make peace but Nathan moves around him grabbing his jacket and heading to the bedroom for the rest of his clothes. He's looking for his keys when Duke presents him with a bowl of Lime Jello.

"Are you five, Duke? I need my keys."

"Just scoop them out."

Nathan grabs Duke's keys instead and by the time Duke gets up on deck he sees his truck reversing out of its spot. He goes below deck to free Nathan's keys and get dressed. Less than five minutes later he's taking the fake parking ticket off Nathan's windshield and heading for the station. Nathan's car is just so, set up so that he can drive without having to exert all of his energy on concentrating on what to do. He'll probably floor Duke's gas pedal with the mood he's in and his unfamiliarity with it.

They get to the station mere minutes apart and swap keys, if you can count Nathan dropping Duke's set on the ground as swapping. As they're approaching the office, Duke remembers the pranks he set up last night. Bob had been manning the desk and hadn't even spared Duke a glance because that's his life now, dating a cop and willingly spending huge chunks of time in a police station.

Nathan is waving his arm futilely at his desk and yeah maybe doing the monitor was a touch too far but it's temporary.

"My office, Duke. Pretty sure April Fool's Day shouldn't be you pranking me over and over. How many layers are there?"

Duke shrugs, "wasn't counting. Could've been worse. Could've sent you a glitter bomb but then you'd get it all over me and my sheets too." Duke's met with silence. He might be messing up his sheets solo if the look on Nathan's face is anything to go by.

"I have a job to do and I know that doesn't matter to you but it's important to me and this town."

"Of course it matters, Nathan. I solved more cases than Stan last month. No offence, Stan," Duke says making eye contact with the officer in the doorway.

Stan smiles and shrugs. "None taken, we all have our strengths. Listen, Duke, the Chief's desk being foil-wrapped though, if that was you I'd stay out of his way."

"Thanks for the warning." Duke turns back to Nathan. "Sasquatch won't kill me."

Nathan begins angrily tearing at the saran wrap on his keyboard and phone. The phone rings and when he can't answer it through the layers of wrapping he gives Duke a look that could kill.

Duke takes a step back. "Try a scissors."

"Leave!"

"I'm going."

Duke heads to the Gull and gets his staff to taste test some new possible menu items. He gets lost in the cooking and tasting, taking rough notes on different versions of sauces. It relaxes him and he wants to develop the menu as well as keeping his regular's favorites. He doesn't think about how angry Nathan was till he gets to Nathan's after work and there's a small bag of his stuff just inside the door. Shit, Nathan must really be pissed.

"Truce, Nathan?" Duke asks walking through to the kitchen with his hands up.

Nathan is gripping his beer bottle so tightly that Duke knows he went too far.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone to the station. That's your workplace and it was unprofessional."

"Guess I shouldn't have let my guard down. More fool me. My dad was right, you're trouble but I didn't let myself see that I'd still be getting picked on all these years later."

"That's not what today was. April Fool's Day is just pranks, nothing permanently damaged. I'd made extra eggs this morning but you didn't let me tell you that."

Nathan holds out his hand. "Key please and then go."

"Just like that?"

"Was it fun making me trust you so you could make me look stupid? I didn't think you were still that kid who stuck tacks in me but you got your laughs. I want you to go and stop coming by the station. I'll get Dwight to deal with you if a case requires it and I'd like to get my stuff from the Rouge when you're out."

Duke works Nathan's key free from the bunch biting his lip because he's not that cruel kid any more and he hates that Nathan would think that. He puts it on the counter instead of in Nathan's hand out of spite. "I didn't _make_ you trust me, Nathan. Do you really think I told you everything about my dad and Evi and Jean as part of some long con? I've told parts of it to other people but all of it, you're the only one who knows it all. You think I'd expose myself like that, all my fears and worries, just so I could prank you one day? At least look at me, Nathan."

Nathan picks at the label on the bottle which is progress from trying to crush it. He eventually looks up, his expression angry and his face pinched. It's a look that Duke hates seeing directed at him and he has to say his piece.

"I told you all that stuff because I love you. I wouldn't have told it all to the Chief's kid or a cop or that somewhat shy kid from school but my boyfriend, yeah I'd tell him everything because that's who we are now. You're not the kid whose numbness was a challenge to assholes like me and I'm not that Crocker boy who can't be trusted because of a legacy he didn't even know about. You do know that right?"

"No and my stupid phone has been stuck on what I think is Finnish all day. We didn't all go travelling and learn lots of languages."

"Let me fix it."

Nathan slides his phone across the counter and Duke quickly has it back to English. "I am sorry, Nathan. Truly I was just trying to make you smile with silly tricks. I hate that I ever did those things to you and I feel awful when I think about the past. You smile so freely when you're tired, when you need me to steer you towards bed before you keel over but you're always so serious and this town will do that to you but I like relaxed Nathan who used to seem happy sometimes."

Duke gets why Nathan takes on all this responsibility, proving himself to the town and Dwight and showing people he won't leave again. Troubled events are more frequent, some silly and some scary. He just wants them to have some happiness too.

Nathan takes a sip of beer and puts the bottle down gently. "I liked what we had, Duke, but we can't all ooze charm and sexiness in every damn thing we do. Some of us have to make an effort with people."

"You gonna hit me if I sit down?"

Nathan shakes his head and Duke pulls a stool round so he can sit facing Nathan. He reaches out slowly to take Nathan's hand, making sure Nathan can see what he's doing.

"How much of today is because of the pranks and how much of it is stuff you've been bottling up for years apparently?"

"50/50 maybe. Well okay maybe 30/70 but today I was back to being that kid who people laughed at and it wasn't just you but I hated how I felt back then, the way I sometimes still feel now. Some kids had it worse, but bullying has a long-term effect. Do you know how hard it is to make friends when you never really learned how as a kid?"

Duke shakes his head, feeling like shit for ever having been a part of what makes Nathan so closed off at times.

"You can't just share your candy with a grown-up and talk about Power Rangers or dinosaurs. You charm people before you even open your mouth and if it weren't for my job, I'd probably interact with just a few people. I hate that I abandoned this town but I am good at my job. I know that and I should be able to laugh at a prank or two but I hated how it made me feel, embarrassed and judged. I hated that you didn't get that and that I couldn't just laugh. I mean Laverne painted the bar of soap in the station with clear polish and caught a few people out and that was fun."

"So you can smile?"

Nathan gives a forced impression of one and lifts their joined hands, wrapping his other hand around Duke's with a bit more pressure than is necessary. "All of those feelings made me resent you for leaving, for having a life beyond this town and adventures while I copied my dad and became a cop. If I had the chance again, I'd probably still be a cop because I'm not the adventurous type. I was stuck here and that wasn't even a little bit your fault. You're the wild one and I'm the safe bet, the dependable one."

Duke raises an eyebrow but decides not to bring up the whole being hit for money thing. Though they've talked before, Nathan is never this open without shutting down emotionally. He nods and hopes Nathan will continue.

"I was so angry with you today for unintentionally bringing all this stuff up and I shouldn't have been. At the risk of repeating myself, I really don't want to remember school because whoever says it's the best time of your life is a liar."

Duke frees his hand and tries to wait out the silence in case whatever he says is the wrong thing.

"Say something, Duke."

Several things come to mind; a smart comment about getting his key back, apologizing again, asking Nathan more questions. When he does speak it's with uncertainty. "Are we... Are you and I over?"

"I don't want us to be. I hate feeling like a child that's thrown a tantrum but maybe we can work on stuff."

"Yeah. I'd like that, well not like perhaps because I can never take back what I did but no pranks I swear. I thought you knew I was being open with you and I think I have been but if there's something, not land me in jail something, that you want to know about you can ask. I'll willingly be interrogated if it gets us to a good place. I trust you and I hope that trusting me is not an impossible goal for you."

Nathan grabs two beers from the refrigerator and gives one to Duke. "Not impossible but it'll take time and those are my issues not yours. Shit I sounded like Claire. She'd have had us in couples counselling by now."

Duke clinks his bottle against Nathan's, "yeah she would have with Audrey reporting back on any workplace hostilities."

They're quiet for a moment thinking of those they've lost and then Nathan pushes the key back across the counter. "You staying?"

"Yep."

Duke is relieved when Nathan leans over and kisses him and Duke wraps his arms round him stretching awkwardly across the counter. He doesn't give a shit about the discomfort, not when Nathan is offering forgiveness of sorts.


End file.
